For years I disliked pre-staff notation.
I don’t know about you…but I wasn’t taught it as a young student. I was introduced to the staff on my very. first. lesson.
So when I started teaching, I was always tempted to skip those sections in the method books. I honestly just didn’t see the point of it.
My thoughts were that we were “wasting time” because it “took longer” before students were reading the grand staff.
As I gained more experience and studied education, I came to realize that there are SO many benefits of teaching pre-staff notation!
Here are a few:
- Gets students playing right away (takes away the barrier of having to know the staff lines first)
- Introduces melodic direction
- Right hand vs left hand differentiation (teachers… you already know that this can be a whole challenge in itself for some students)
- Builds dexterity and fine motor skills (when students are playing right away, they can start building that strength)
- Ensures a solid foundation of early skills like finger number and note values before introducing MORE concepts on the staff
Do you love pre-staff notation? What else am I missing from the list?
Of course, every student is different. A couple weeks of pre-staff might be enough for some, but others might benefit from a couple months or longer to get the hang of it. As long as we follow the pace of the student in front of us, we will be doing what’s best.
If you’re looking for a pre-staff warm-up that gets your preschool and primer students playing right away in every lesson, check out these digital flashcards:
Ms Emily Music 